The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-10-19

have shown, and as you know. thai
system Is not a good one and it must be
refo med, or our disasters will be greater
and greater.
One-half of our population are fe-
m" les; they are citizens, but not voters !;
they are our mothers, our wives. our
sisters and our daughters; In all the
relations of life they do their full duty
all the burdens of life they share equal
~ with US, and sometimes take an un-
due share; yet up to the establishment of,
TINS Institute, the State had done moth
ing for their separate industrial educs-
| tion.
| WOMEN HAVE A RIGHT To LAVE;
nobody doubts that. Have they not also
night, an equal right, with men to
live comfortably and independently!
Mrst they be beggars and pensioners,
when misfortune, or ill-fortune, has de-
prlved them of the I'd of fathers or
brothers, or husbands or sons? If they
are not allowed fair chance to be
oread-wlnners for themselves and their
orphan children, then we must, by taxa
tlon, provide retreats in which they can
live In comfort and ease. Teaching and
the needle are about ali the c supations
open In Mississippi for women. The
number of teachers is necessarily linn
lted. Needle women are probably the
| lowest paid of all human laborers.
Whoever wears the chesp-msde clothing
sold III our stores, may know that its
cheapness consists, in large degree, in
/ the overwoTk of women. which produces
disease and death, and of that under
/ pay, which means starvation and cold
| to the mother-needle woman, and her
helpless children. So if there be any
duty resting on civilized State pro-
tossing to be Christian, higher and
more exigent than any other, it is
| to so provide that its women shall have
the opportunity for learning how to
win bread, raiment and lodging-how to
be comfortable and independent, when
oyertaken by the misfortunes of life.
On this subject, l call your attention to
a letter written by one of the women
| of Mississippi over the signature of
Simplicia, and published in THE CLAIR
ION of September 2Sth. And also to a
| letter of Mrs. Peyton's hereto appended
| as Exhibit A, and | here ask every pa
| per in the State to give these letters in
sertion in their columns. The side of
| the Institute is strongly and fairly sta
| ted IN both of them, much better than
| anything | can write. | don't think
the men of Mississippi can be
DEAF TO THESE ARGUMENTS.
ooh, but" it is said, 1--WE are over
burdened-ground down by taxation,
and it is wrong to tax poor people who
cannot send their children to these in
stitutions !" These objections need re-
spectful notice. In the first place, |
will say, that the burLen of taxation
does not so much consist in the amount
of taxes levied, as in the economy and
wisdom of their expenditure. On
the contrary, the question which con-
| Germs the honest taxpayer, is not alto
gether how much do / pay? but aohat
good purpose is subserved by the money
when it is paid in? Does it go to enrich
some dishonest contractor? Is it wasted
in unnecessary and useless enterprises?
Is it given in extravagant salaries to
officials and their dependents? is it
wisely, honestly and carefully applied
to the public use? If the latter alter
native be. the true category, then,
large taxation, if not beyond the means
of the peoples not matter of Just
complaint. For instance those of us
who live in the Yazoo-Delta, pay addi-
tionally as large a tax as the ordinary
State and county tax combined.
But this tax is paid to protect us
from overflow, and it does protect us.
Yet for that protection and the gains it
gives, 1t is not considered that the tax
is burdensome; at least, as one of these
taxpayers, do not so consider it. Sc
since the war, we have a school tax in
| addition nfhnr 70 htrt th
tax saves the people from the expense
of paying directly for the education OF
their children in the common schools.
| can see, | think, that there are some
USELESS AND ExTRAvAGANr ExPENDI.
TUREs,
| both in the State and county govern
ments. But on this, others might and
| will differ from me. The State expendi-
lures, every dollar of them, are fixed
and regulated by the people themselves,
through their Representatives if
there be extravaganza, the people are
responsible.
But it is said, that the poor are taxed
to support these Colleges, and they can
not send their children to them. Now
if it is meant by poor man, one who
owns nothing--has no property-then l
answer, he pays no taxes whatever
unless being under fifty and over twen-
ty-one years of age, he pays poll-tax; /;
and if he does, that poll-ta1 can go to
no other purpose than to common
schools. Besides, our exemptions from
taxation are so liberal, that poor man
may own, and frequently does own,
about s. 900 worth of property-which
is not liable to taxation. But we will
suppose case, not uncommon, of
man assessed at $4,000 in property
over and above, that exempted from
taxation, and that he has the average
family of four children, whom he sends
to school four months in the year.
How will the account stand then? He
WILL PAY LESS TAXES IN ALL, STATE
AND CoUNTY, THAN THE COST PAID
By THE STATE, BY TAXATION, OF
SCHOOLING HIS CHILDREN. And if his
property is assessed, as is most usual,
at about one half of its true value, he
may be the owner of $4,000 worth of
property, besides 81 900 of exempt prop
erty, and pay no more than he receives in
educating his children, and, there
fore, he pays NOTHING To THE SUP
PORT OF THE GOVERNMENT, STATE
OR COUNTY, AND NONE TO THE COL
LEGBs. Yet if he is thrifty person,
he can send his boys to the A. & NJ.
College, and his girls to the Industrial
Institute. So you see how little there is
in this idea of taxing the poor to send
rich peoples children to college.
But we will take the case of man
who has no children to educate, an old
bachelor, for instance, and let US see
how Luch he is oppressed for education
in the A. & NJ. and in the Female Insti-
tute. Let him be resident of Carroll
county, and assessed at $1,000 The
average assessment of lands in Carroll
county, leaving out the towns of Val
den, Black Hawk and Carrollton, is
$2.623 per acre; of horses, it is s63.11
per head; cattle, 500 per head. Such
a man may own, in Carroll county, of
property of the average value, 240 acres
of land, assessed at...................S630 90
Ihree horses. .-.-...---.......--...... Io9 %
One wagon worth.................. :. 40 90
Head of cattle 20, worth. h............ ia 90
In all. all..............................$973 SO
leaving a surplus of $26.66 for other |
p soper.y. In addition, he may own as
exempt from taxation
Household and kitchen furni
ture to the amount of.......-S 250 90 |
Wearing apparel for self and
family, say-.-..................... lou W
All the farm products
corn, meat, oats and rye, say. 500 90
Provisions for his family for a
year, say........................... 25o 90
One gun, worth, say ........... Is 90
Ten sheep or goats.......... Is 90
All colts under three wears of